FBI supervisor Tracee Mergen has resigned after trying to investigate the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officer involved in the fatal shooting of Renee Nicole Good in Minneapolis earlier this month, The New York Times reported.
Online reaction to the reported resignation on Friday night ranged from praise to criticism, alongside renewed questions about how the case has been handled.
Why It Matters
The reported resignation comes as scrutiny intensifies over the federal response to the shooting and the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) approach to civil rights investigations involving law enforcement use-of-force cases.
The Times also reported that at least six federal prosecutors in Minnesota resigned earlier this month amid disputes over whether to investigate the shooting and amid concerns about a push to investigate the victim’s widow.
What to Know
Mergen had opened a civil rights inquiry into ICE officer Jonathan Ross after the January 7 shooting, in which Good—a 37-year-old U.S. citizen and mother—was fatally shot while inside her vehicle.
CNN, citing two sources, reported that after Mergen initiated the civil rights investigation, she was instructed to reclassify the matter as an assault-on-officer case, and that the FBI blocked the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension from participating.
According to the Times, the DOJ chose to launch an investigation into Good and her partner in an effort to identify potential activist ties. Separately, the department is investigating Democratic Minnesota Governor Tim Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey—also a Democrat—amid an effort to determine whether they interfered with federal immigration actions following Good’s killing.
What People Are Saying
California Democratic Congressman Sam Liccardo wrote on X Friday: “Gratitude to this FBI agent for her courage and her commitment to her convictions.”
Alex Tabarrok, an economics professor at George Mason University, wrote on X Friday: “I appreciate the integrity, but every principled resignation is an adverse selection.”
Jeremy Redfern, deputy chief of staff to Florida’s Republican Attorney General James Uthmeier, wrote on X Friday: “This is a win for the American people, actually.”
X user Adam Cochran wrote: “Wow!! The FBI officer who was investigating Renee Good’s shooting was FORCED to classify it as ‘an assault on an officer’ case, against their judgement. The Agent has resigned in protest! The FBI leadership are corrupt partisan hacks, and the facts clearly show MURDER!”
Attorney Richard W. Painter, who served as chief White House ethics lawyer during George W. Bush’s administration, wrote on X Friday: “Investigate what really happened, get fired. That’s the way @TheJusticeDept works these days.”
Author Patrick Tomlinson wrote on X Friday: “They are covering up the public execution of a 37 yr old mother and Air Force widow in broad daylight. Jonathan Ross needs to face a jury for the murder he committed.”
What Happens Next
It remains unclear whether federal authorities will revisit a civil rights investigation into the deadly shooting.
